Automatic firearm



n *9 m 1 8 rl U Ahg. 25, 1925.

C. G. SWEBILIUS AuwouAuc FIREARM Filed larch 5. 1923 FIVE/770,? 6921; 4 52425121;

Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL G. SWEBILIUS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE MARLIN FIREARMS CORPORATION, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

Application filed March 3,

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CARL GUsrAF SWE- BILIUS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to repeating firearms and pertains more especially to the breech locking mechanism thereof.

The object of this invention is to prevent the unlocking of the breech bolt between the pulling of the trigger and the explosion of the cartridge.

This object is attained by providing a spring actuated lever, one end of which, when the gun is breeched, engages a reciproeating portion of the breech mechanism, whereby the latter is maintained in locked position. The lever is moved from its operative position by the engagement therewith of a spring actuated member which is held out of engagement with said lever, before the hammer is released, by a stop and, which, after the hammer is released, is prevented from operating the lever because of pressure exerted on the end of the lever by the reciprocating portion of the breech mechanism, the pressure being supplied from a spring in the forearm and communicated to the reciprocating portion through the action rod. At the recoil of the gun, the pressure between the reciprocating portion and the lever is relieved and the spring actuated member moves the 'lever out of operative position.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 1s a part section and part elevation of a n embodying the invention, the gun being cocked. Fig. 2 is a similar view just after recoil.

In the receiver 10 is reciprocatively I mounted a breech bolt 11 to which is pivoted a locking member 12 which seats in a socket 13 in the top wall of the receiver. A slide 14 is carried by the breech bolt 11 and has a portion 15 adapted to underlie the rear end of the locking member 12 when the gun is breeched to maintain said member in the socket 13. The front end of the slide projects across a cam groove 16 in the forward end of the locking member. An action rod 17 has a stud projecting into the groove and 1923. Serial No.'622,532.

the movement of said stud in the groove is effective to move the locking member into and out of operative position. This construction of breech bolt and locking member and its operation is the subject of my c0- pending application, Serial No. 541,432, filed March 6, 1922, to which reference may be had for a detail description. For the purposes of this application, it is necessary merely to understand that the slide 14, when in the position shown, maintains the locking member 12 in operative position and that it is moved out of this position by the action rod 17 as the stud on the latter moves through the cam groove 16.

To prevent the rearward or unlocking movement of the slide 14, there is provided a lever 18 having a spring 19 normally lifting its front end up into position to be engaged by the slide 14, as shown in Fig. 1. As long as the lever 18 retains this position,

it is impossible to open the breech. Near is, however, held back against the action of} I -85 the spring 22 by the engagement of a stud 23 thereon with the rear end of the hammerspring guide rod 24, when the hammer is in cocked position, see Fig. 1. The rear end of the rod 24 is tapered so that it may exert a camming effect on the stud 23 to lift the A spring 22 exerts block 20 when the hammer is moved to cocked position.

The action rod 17 terminates in a forearm 25 which is slidably mounted on the cylinder 26. In the rear end of the forearm, adjacent the action rod, is a collar 27 and on the cylinder is another collar 28. Interposed between these collars is a spring 29 which, through the action rod 17, supplies suflicient pressure between the end of the slide 14 and the end of the lever 17 to normally prevent the latter being moved from operative position by the block 20.

The operation of the gun is as follows: Vith the elements in the positions shown Fig. 1, the gun is breeched and ready or firing. The slide 14 is held in its forard position by the lever 18 and the block is held back by the engagement of the stud 23 with the rod 24 so that it has no effect on the lever 18. The sprin 29 is pressing the action rod 17 rearwar ly and the slide 14 against the lever 18. The hammer is now released. The rod 24 is pulled forward and removed from engagement with the stud 23. The block 20, through the lip 21, now exerts pressure on the rear end of the lever 18 tending to depress its front end and release the slide 14. It does not operate the lever 18 at this moment, however, because of the pressure supplied by the spring 29. The pressure between the rear end of the slide 14 and the front end of the lever 18 is suificient to overcome the effect of the block 20. This condition maintains until after the explosion of the eartridge. The recoil after the explosion causes a relative movement of the action rod and the receiver, thus relieving, for an instant, the pressure between slide 14 and lever 18. The block 20 is instantly effective to operate the lever 18. The gun may now be unbreecheid atnd reloaded in the manner common to repeating firearms, the rod 2 1 lifting the block 20 into its inoperative position by the engagement of its tapered end with the stud 23.

The arrangement is designed to prevent injury to a shooter due to defective ammunition known as hang-fire. For although the block 20 is released upon the release of the hammer, it is not effective to release the breech locking mechanism until after the explosion has actually taken place.

I'Vhat is claimed is:

1. In a repeating firearm, a receiver, a breech mechanism reciprocatively mounted therein, a hammer, a lever adapted to prevent unbreeching said mechanism, a spring for normally holding said lever in operative position, a spring actuaited member adapted to move said lever into inoperativeposition, and means to render said last named member inoperative until the hammer is released.

2. In a repeating firearm, a receiver, a breech mechanism reciprocatively mounted therein, a hammer, a lever adapted to prevent unbreeching said mechanism, a spring for normally holding said lever in operative position, a spring actuated member adapted to move said lever into inoperative position, and means controlled by said hammer for rendering said last named member inoperat-ive.

3. In a repeating firearm. a receiver, a breech mechanism reciprocatively mounted therein, a hammer, a spring therefor, a hammer spring guide rod, a lever adapted to prevent unbreeching said mechanism, a spring for normally holding said lever in operative position, a spring actuated member adapted to move said lever into inoperative position, and a lug on said member adapted to be engaged by said hammer spring guide rod Wherebysaid hammer is rendered inoperative.

4. In a repeating firearm, a receiver, a breech mechanism reciprocatively mounted therein, a hammer, a spring therefor, a hammer spring guide rod, a lever adapted to prevent unbreeching said mechanism, a spring for normally holding said lever in operative position, a spring acuated mem ber having a lip underlying one end of said lever whereby movement of said member is effective to render said lever inoperative, and a lug on said member adapted to be engaged by said hammer spring guide rod.

5. In a repeating firearm, a breech mechanism, a locking lever carried thereby, a slide on the breech mechanism adapted to underlie said locking lever when the latter is in operative position, a lever adapted to engage said slide, means for actuating said lever to disengage it from said slide, means to render said actuating means inoperative while the firearm is cocked, and resilient means pressing said slide against the end of said lever.

6. In a repeating firearm, a breech mechanism, a lever cooperating with a portion of said breech mechanism to maintain the latter in locking position, a. spring actuated member to render said lever inoperative. means to maintain said member inoperative while the firearm is cocked, and resilient means for forcing together said breech mechanism portion and said lever into frictional engagement, whereby said lever is prevented from being actuated by said member, said frictional engagement being broken upon the recoil of the gun.

7. In a repeating firearm, a receiver, a breech mechanism reciprocatively mounted therein, a slide on said breech mechanism for maintaining said mechanism in locked position, a lever adapted in one position to block movement of said slide, resilient means normally maintaining said lever in blocking position, a spring actuated member to render said lever inoperative, means to maintain said member inoperative while the firearm is cooked, an action rod adapted to bear against one end of said slide and a spring exerting pressure on said action rod whereby said slide is forced against said lever.

8. In a repeating firearm, a receiver, a breech mechanism reciprocativelv mounted therein a slide on said breech mechanism for maintaining said mechanism in locked position, a lever adapted in one position to block movement of said slide, resilient means normally maintaining said lever in blocking position, a spring actuated member to render said lever inoperative, a hammer, means movable with said hammer to maintain said member inoperative while said hammer i cocked, an action rod adapted to bea against one end of said slide and a spring exerting pressure on said action rod whereby said slide isforced against said lever.

9. In a repeating firearm, a receiver, a breech mechanism reciprocatively mounted therein, a slide on said breech mechanism for maintaining said mechanism in locked position, a lever adapted in one position to block movement of said slide, resilient means normally maintaining said lever in blocking position, a spring actuated member, alip on said member in contact with said lever, whereby movement of said member renders said lever inoperative, a hammer, means movable with said hammer for maintaining said member inoperative while the hammer is cooked, an action rod adapted to bear against one end of said slide, and a spring exerting pressure on said action rod whereby said slide is forced against said lever.

10. In a repeating firearm, a receiver, a

breech mechanism reei rocatively mounted therein, a slide on said breech mechanism for maintaining said mechanism in locked osition, a lever adapted in one position to lock movement of said slide, resilient means normally ing position, a spring actuated member, a lip on said member in contact with saidlever, whereby movement of said member renders said lever inoperative, a hammer, means movable with said hammer for maintaining said member inoperative while the hammer is cocked, an action rod adapted to bear against one end of said slide, an abutment, a split ring interposed between said abutment and the end of said action rod, whereby pressure is exerted to force said slide against said lever to prevent movement of the latter, said pressure being released upon the recoil of the firearm.

In witness whereof I hereunto afiix my signature this th day of Feb. 1923.

CARL e. SWEBILIUS.

maintaining said. lever in block- 

